Pocket tool



Nov. 18, 1941. M. BERG EI'ALI 2,263,415

POCKET TOOL Filed Dec. 18 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR; Marf/n Berg and BY Z1113 W/Y/fdZ Sc/maff GENT Nov. 18, 1941. M. BERG ETAL POCKET TOOL Filed Dec. 18, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 7

v INVENTOR- Marf/fl Ber g and lows Will 'am Sc/1am? AGENT Patented Nov. 18, 1941 UNITED POCKET TOOL Martin Berg, New York, and Louis William .Sc'haaff, Jackson Heights, N. Y.; said Schaafl assignor to Berg Application December 18, 1940, Serial No. 370,658

' (o1. se-iso) 9 Claims.

This invention relates to pocket tools and. particularly to one in which the tool is pivotally opened and closed in a sheath-handle by a movable part. In the application of Martin Berg, Serial No. 265,171, now Patent No. 2,250,290, July 22, 1941, such a pocket tool in which the tool is pivotally opened and closed in a handle by a longitudinally sliding rack in gear operation is described. According to this invention said pocket-tool is Working in spring operation.

The main object of our present invention is to provide a pocket tool involving substantially an irreducible number of parts with. resulting inexpensiveness, compactness, ease of operation and dependability. We accomplish these objects by first forming suitable material into a trough-like or folded handle or frame preferably having a closed back or at least a partly closed back with at least one open end and an open side, near each end of which is fixed a pin or rivet or besides these two pins or rivets also a third pin or rivet which act to strengthen the handle and hold side portions spaced apart. On one pin is pivoted the tool and on the other pin is arranged a movable member which may either slide back and forth or turn around said other pin. The movable member may extend integrally or with a special part beyond that end of the handle opposite the tool pivot, whereby upon pulling out the movable member, or by turning the projected end of said member, the tool is projected in opened position by spring action and upon. pushing in the rack or by turning back said projected end, the tool is fixed in the opened position. Upon pulling out the movable members again or turning said projected end thereof in the same Way the tool collapses into closed position and by pushing in said member or by turning back said projected end thereof the tool is fixed in the 4 closed position.

A further object of the invention is to provide some means to guide said movable member by pulling and pushing it out and in or turning it out and in and to maintain the tool stable by the same movements in closed and opened position.

An important object of the inventionis to limit the opening movement of the tool by abutment on the frame.

The present invention is applicable to all types of pocket tools having a sheath handle and. is useful for a knife file, comb, razor, household cutlery and the like. The following description of the invention shows preferred embodiments applied to a pocket knife construction as illustrated in the drawings, in which: 7

Fig.- 1 is a side view of the pocket knife with the blade in closed position; Fig. 2 a cross-sec tional view through the pocket knife with the blade in closed position; Fig. 3 a similar crosssectional view of the pocket knife the blade being extended in the open position. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view through the knife taken along the line IVIV of Fig. 2.

The embodiment of the invention shownin F gs. 14 consists of a sheath-handle, a movable fork member and a tool.

Sheath-handle I may be made of suitable material and. is U-forme'd. It has therefore flat side portions 2 connected by an integral slightly rounded back portion 3. Rivets 4 and 5 grip side portions 2 together and act to strengthen the sheath-handle I rigidly holdin the side portions 2 in suitablespaced relation. Besides that rivet 4 serves as pivot for the blade and rivet 5 as guidance for the rack member.

The fork member 6 is bifurcated on one end, both parts I and 8 of said f'ork member being narrowed to or projected from each other in the closed and opened position of the blade respectively. The other end 8 of the fork member 6,

projecting of the handle I has a cutout I6 suitable for gripping to operate it, as-we'll asfor attaching a key ring,- chain or the like. Close to the end 9 of said fork member 6 a longitudinal slot II is arranged having on the outer end a backwardly directed notch I 2 and said slot engages pinto serve as guide in the push or pull movement of said fork member 6 and to lock it by engaging said pin 5 in the notch I2 in both the opened and closed position of the blade. In order to lock pin 5 in the notch I2 said fork member has a, spring member i3 a projection I4 of which is abutted on the back sheath portion 3 giving to the member 6' besides said looking a degree of resiliency to prevent it from rattling in the closed or opened position; The upper part I of the bifurcated end of the fork member 6 has an oblique face on its end in order to slide easier on the depression I5 arranged on the shoulder I5 of blade I'I'. Shoulder I6 has an aperture I8 on its lower end in which the lower part 8 of the fork member 6 is engaged in the opened position of the blade. Due to the depression I5 of the blade H a face I9 is arranged on its back which abuts on back 3 of the sheath-handle I in the opened position in order to restrict the tendency of variations in the grinding process of the blade and even to eliminate same entirely. Opposite 5 the depression I5 of the blade a partly flat and partly oblique face I9 is arranged on its back end.

The part 8 of the bifurcated end of the fork member 6 has slenderness and springiness and on account of the springiness of this part 8 the blade is turned to the open position. The normal position of the part 8 is arranged in some distance of the other part I of the bifurcated end of the fork member 6. In the closed and in the opened position of the blade II, the part 8 is narrowed to the other part I and so the spring force in this part 8 is stressed in both positions, in the closed position of the blade ready to turn the blade I! into the opened position and in the opened position of the blade ready to tend the blade ll into the utmost opened position. On

account of the longitudinal slot II of the fork member 6 the latter is longitudinally slidable in collapse to the closed position which is locked again in that position upon pushing inwardly the fork member 6 and achieving again the first mentioned position by gliding the pin 5 into the notch I2 so looking the fork member 6 and also locking the blade I! in the closed position.

Although we have specifically described and illustrated our invention in connection with a single-blade spring-operated pocket knife, it is to be understood that the invention may be applied to multi-tool units, in general, where more than one tool section is used. Each tool may have an independent manually actuable member corresponding to member 6 of the illustrated form. The back stop corresponding to portions 3 may be intermediate between the edges of the sides 2. Furthermore the tool element may be of any desired form, such as a file, comb, surgical the sheath-handle and in order to start the longitudinal movement it is only necessary to raise a little the fork member 6 against pressure of its spring I i until the pin 5 comes into the level of the longitudinal slot iI. lhe changing of one position to the other of the blade makes always the described longitudinal movement of the fork member 6 necessary.

In the closed position (Fig. 2) part 8 of the fork member 6 rests on the flat part of the face Id of the blade ll working with spring pressure to turn the blade 57 clockwise. The other part I of the bifurcated end of the member 6 resists the opening movement of blade I? by engaging the oblique face of its end with the corresponding oblique part of the face Id of the blade I1 and having the fork member i3 locked by the notch I2 its sprin part 53, the pin 5 is released from the notch I2, the fork member can not be pulled out, whereby pin 5 slides in the slot II. Due to this movement the part i of the fork member 6 retires thereby removing the resistance against turning the blade H, which turns on pin 4 on account of the continuing spring pressure of part 3 of the fork member 6. Blade I'I turns until face id of its shoulder abuts on the back 3 of the sheath I and upon pushing back said fork member 6 into the former position the part 8 glides into the aperture I8 of the shoulder it in the blade H with the tendency to keep blade I! in the opened position and besides that the part I is now resting on the face I5 of the depression of the shoulder l6 close to the back 3 of the sheath I again locking the blade 11 in the opened position. On account of the 1 ing the blade I! in the opened position. In theconstruction shown in the application Serial No. 265,171 it has been found that due to lack of accurate grinding control of the back of the blade, the latter frequently had the tendency to lean backward when too much or to lean forward when too little had been ground away.

To effect the closing of the knife blade I7, the projecting end 9 of the fork member 6 is pulled outwardly again, after lifting it up a little against spring pressure I3, until pin 5 is in the level of the slot II in that way releasing the part I of fork member 6 from the face I5 of the shoulder It and the spring part 8 from the aperture I8 of the shoulder it, and therefore the blade IT can instrument or the like.

The preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the drawings and set forth in the specification, but it. will be understood that any modifications within the scope of the claimed invention may be made in the construction without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

We claim:

1. In a pocket tool a frame comprising a handle having two side portions, a back portion between said side portions and pin members connecting said side portions, a spring operated tool member pivoted on one of said pin members and having a depression and an aperture on its back end and a fork member having a projection and a spring engageable with said depression and aperture respectively for keeping said tool in its closed and opened position, said spring being adapted for turning said tool on its pivot from the closed to the opened position, said fork member being 1ongitudinally slidable along the second one of said pin members and arranging means for keeping said fork member in the locked position and means for keeping said tool member in opened and closed position. 7

2. In a pocket tool according to claim 1, said fork member having an integral handle extending outside said frame opposite its end at which said tool is pivoted.

3. In a pocket tool according to claim 1 said fork member having a slot in which said second pin member being sliding, having arranged a notch on one end of said slot, said fork member having a spring part engaging the inside of said back portion whereby said fork member must be moved upwards against spring pressure before extending above and beneath said pivot in opened position on which said tool is turned.

6. In a pocket tool according to claim '1, said tool having a face on its shoulder for abutting on the back portion of said frame.

7; In a pocket tool according to claim I, said means for keeping said fork member in the locked position consisting of a notch arranged on one.

end of said slot in the fork member;

having a projection and a spring member engageable with said depression, said fork member being movable out of engagement with said depression of the tool member in order to start the opening movement of said tool member by action of said spring of the fork member and means for keeping said fork member and said tool member in the opened and closed position.

MARTIN BERG. LOUIS WILLIAM SCI-IAAFF. 

